Aum Shinrikyo

Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese terrorist group founded in 1984 by Shoko Asahara. Recognized as a religion in 1989 despite the objection of numerous lawyers, Aum Shinrikyo was responsible for several attacks, including the Matsumoto incident of 1994 (which left 8 dead) and the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack of 1995 (which left 13 dead).

History
Aum Shinrikyo was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984 as a mixture of many esoteric beliefs, including Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto. The scriptures of Vajrayana Buddhism and the Bible were used as some inspirations for the cult, and Asahara declared himself "Christ" and the "Lamb of God". The group had around 2,000 members, believing that World War III would soon happen and a nuclear armageddon would follow. The cult was focused on destruction, and in 1994 they were responsible for killing 8 people in a sarin gas attack in the "Matsumoto incident" in addition to the murder of a lawyer, his wife, and child in revenge for the lawyer's opposition to the group. In 1995 the Tokyo subway sarin attack left 13 people dead, and it resulted in a crackdown on the group. Asahara was arrested and sentenced to death in 2004, but his execution was delayed many times as more Aum Shinrikyo members were imprisoned. The cult was declared a terrorist group by the United States, Kazakhstan, China, and other countries.